Thomas Muyombo (born 28 October 1984), also known as Tom Close, is a Ugandan-born, Rwandan-based comic book author, musician, and physician. A ChimpReports reviewer in 2013 described him as "the king of Afrobeat and dancehall" in Rwanda.

Early life and education

Muyombo, the second of three children, was born on 28 October 1984 to Edward Karangwa and Faith Grace Dukuze in the Masindi District of

Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territor ...

. After beginning his primary education in Uganda, Muyombo relocated to Rwanda, where he completed his secondary education at Kiziguro secondary school and the French Lycée de Kigali. In fourth grade, he began singing in church choirs. He completed a university degree in Human Medicine at the

National University of Rwanda The National University of Rwanda (NUR; rw, Kaminuza nkuru y’u Rwanda, french: Université nationale du Rwanda, UNR) was the largest university in Rwanda. It was located at in the city of Butare and was established in 1963 by the government ...

in 2013.

Career

Musical career

As a musician, Muyombo goes by the name Tom Close. In 2005, Muyombo formed his first group with four friends under the name Afro-Saints, recording five songs between 2006 and 2007 but without gaining popular success. His first single as a solo artist, "Mbwira", was recorded in November 2007 and was followed by the release of his debut album, ''Kuki'', in May 2008. He recorded four more albums between 2008 and 2013, entitled ''Subeza'', ''Ntubanyurwa, Komeza Utsinde'' and ''Mbabariara Ugaruke''. He has collaborated with numerous Rwandan and international artists, including

Professor Jay Joseph Haule (born December 29, 1975), popularly known by his stage name Professor Jay, is a Tanzanian rapper, songwriter, politician and former member of the Tanzanian parliament for Mikumi constituency. He is one of the prominent representatives ...

, Radio and Weasel, General Ozzey, Knowless, and

Sean Kingston Kisean Paul Anderson (born February 3, 1990), better known by his stage name Sean Kingston, is an American-Jamaican singer and rapper. He is known for his hit songs " Beautiful Girls", "Fire Burning", " Take You There", and his collaboration wit ...

. He has toured widely in Rwanda and the countries of the

East African Community The East African Community (EAC) is an intergovernmental organisation composed of seven countries in the Great Lakes region of East Africa: the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the United Republic of Tanzania, the Republics of Kenya, Burundi, ...

, and performed in the United States in 2011. He performed at a cohas ncert celebrating the tenth anniversary of regional telecommunications company MTN alongside international artist

Shaggy Shaggy may refer to: People *Shaggy (musician) (born 1968), Jamaican American reggae rapper and singer *Shaggy 2 Dope, half of the hip hop, horrorcore band Insane Clown Posse *Shaggy Flores (born 1973), Nuyorican poet, writer and African diaspora ...

. Muyombo win first annual Primus Guma Guma Super Star famous artists competition, held at

Amahoro Stadium The Amahoro Stadium ( rw, Stade Amahoro; french: Stade Amahoro; Kinyarwanda for "Peace Stadium"), officially known as Amahoro National Stadium, is a multi-purpose stadium in the Gasabo district of Kigali, Rwanda. With a capacity of 25,000, it ...

in 2011. In 2008, he won Best Artist at a competition hosted by the

. He also won Artist of the Year at the Salax Awards in 2009, 2010 and 2011.

Medical career

After graduation, Muyombo joined the pediatrics department of Kacyiru hospital in 2014. In 2015, he joined the blood transfusion service in 2015 and was appointed as the Director of Regional Centre for Blood Transfusion for Kigali in 2019. He has also worked as doctor at the national police hospital located in

Kigali Kigali () is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Rwanda. It is near the nation's geographic centre in a region of rolling hills, with a series of valleys and ridges joined by steep slopes. As a primate city, Kigali has been Rwa ...

Selected publications

* ''Inka Yanjye'' (comic, three volumes) * ''Nkunda u Rwanda (comic)'' * ''suka Yanjye (comic)''

Personal life

Muyombo's mother died in 1996. He is married and had two children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Close, Tom 1986 births Living people Rwandan musicians Comics writers Rwandan physicians National University of Rwanda alumni Ugandan emigrants to Rwanda